Shia Ismaili Leadership

Abstract

The self-declaration of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as khalīfah in 2014 has onceagain brought to the fore the topic of Muslim leadership. There are numerousforms of leadership in Muslim societies today. Apart from presidents, primeministers, kings, emirs, and shaykhs, religious heads like the Shaykh al-Azharas well as certain Sufi shaykhs and pirs have varying levels of prominence.The Supreme Leader of Iran is the head of state and the county’s highestrankingpolitical and religious authority. Aga Khan IV, the current Shia NizariIsmaili Imam, leads a transnational community and has established the AgaKhan Development Network. Fethullah Gulen is founder of the transnationalHizmet (service) movement that has roots in Turkey.The issue of Muslim leadership initially came into focus following theProphet’s death in 632, when Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was nominated as the firstkhalīfah. Ali ibn Abi Talib, married to the Prophet’s daughter Fatima, assertedhis claim but eventually agreed to accept Abu Bakr’s selection. Ali became thefourth khalīfah after Abu Bakr, Umar al-Khattab, and Uthman ibn Affan. Hisclosest followers, who came to be known as the Shī‘at ‘Alī and later just Shia,upheld the belief that the Prophet’s family possessed the right of leadership.This group has adhered to Ali and Fatima’s descendants as Imams.The Shia Imama is a religious institution that embodies authority in thedomains of faith (dīn) and world (dunyā). It is generally characterized by ahereditary succession of leaders from father to son, except among the Zaydis(living mostly in northern Yemen), who select their Imams from any male descendantof Ali and Fatima. The largest Shia group, the Ithna Asharis (Twelvers),are concentrated mainly in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Azerbaijan,and the Gulf region. Their name refers to the belief that their Twelfth Imamwent into occultation in 873 and is expected to re-emerge as the messianicMahdi. In his absence, the community is guided by ulama led by the ayatullahs ...